Notch Mountain 13,237' Traditional Cache
sbunch: I'm leaving the geocaching community.
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Cache location overlooks views of Gilman Canyon and the abandoned mining town of Gilman. Out on the horizon soars Notch Mountain at 13,237'.
Notch Mountain is the peak from which Henry Jackson took his famous photo of Mt. of the Holy Cross 14,005' while traveling as expedition photographer on the Hayden Survey in 1873. When the photo became widely published, it was common for people from all over the country to travel here by horse and stagecoach for a pilgrimage to the top of Notch Mountain to view the amazing Cross Couloir which held snow in such a way to form a perfect Christian cross. A stone hut was built on the south ridge of Notch Mountain to protect pilgrims from infamous Rocky Mountain lightning storms that frequently blow up in the afternoon. If you have
binoculars with you, you can see the hut. You can also pick it out with the naked eye if your sharp and know where to look. Today, this is a very popular summer hike that is 5 miles one way to the top by a well-constructed trail.
The town of Gilman was famous during the mining boom days of the mid to late 1800s for lead and zinc in particular. It was abandoned officially in 1985 because of serious environmental impacts on the Eagle River. I believe it is still currently designated a Super Fund site for toxic waste clean-up.
If you would like a view of Mt. of the Holy Cross without climbing Notch Mountain, you can drive up the Shrine Pass Road out of Red Cliff to a specially designated viewing area.
Congrats to oldnewbie on FTF for the "psuedo cache"!
Oldnewbie scores on FTL for correct cache container, too!
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Orggre unir gjrrmref naq jnez avzoyr svatref sbe guvf bar!
Treasures
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